If Your Birthday is January 23rd...

...you share it with Daniel Schneeman, a lefty-hitting outfielder who was a Guardians regular in 2025 -- but whose .206 average and just 41 RBI in 131 games doesn't guarantee a regular job this coming season.  The Brigham Young product looked more like a top prospect when I saw him in action for AAA Columbus in 2024, where he hit .294. 

Addison Russell, who had his best year in 2016, when the Cubs erased their 108-year championship drought. But he never blossomed into stardom as teammates Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant did. And a 2019 suspension for domestic abuse soured his reputation and led to the Cubs sending him to the minors mid-season and non-tendering him that winter.  Since then, he's played in Mexico and Korea, but never received an offer to return to MLB.

Rounding out today's birthday circle:

Jeff Samardzija was a run-of-the-mill pitcher with the Cubs and Giants during the 2010s.  What else would you call an 80 - 104 record over parts of 12 seasons?  Maybe he should have held onto his football dreams -- he was a star wide receiver for Notre Dame. who was named an All-American when he caught 77 passes for the Fighting Irish in 2005.


Wily Mo Pena has a catchy name, but never became the star some expected. The lefty power hitter was the big piece who went from the Yankees to the Reds for Drew Henson (another player torn between football and baseball).  But save for his age 22 season when he blasted 26 home runs for Cincinnati, his big league career was a disappointment.


No Hall of Famers have been born on January 23rd.  Looking back on the more than 60 major leaguers sharing this date, the best of the bunch (judging by WAR) was Chico Carrasquel.  The first in the long line of standout shortstops from Venezuela, he spent all of the 1950s playing here in the States, mostly with the White Sox and Indians.  Carrasquel was born 100 years ago today.

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